The Record recently reported the Florida Supreme Court has requested two additional circuit judges for the Seventh Judicial Circuit including St. Johns County. It is important that you, our neighbors, get the facts about the severe shortage of judges in the state and, more importantly, in our area. Hopefully after you know these facts you will join in the call for additional judges.

Our circuit judges hear both major civil and felony criminal cases. Civil cases include all business matters like contracts and foreclosure, all torts such as medical malpractice and traffic accidents, all probate, and all family law, including domestic violence, divorce and adoption.

Criminal cases involve all felony level crimes. Last year in St. John’s County alone there were more than 2,500 civil cases filed, over 700 probate matters and several thousand family law cases. All of those cases were heard by just four judges - one handling felonies, two handling family law and one hearing all civil cases.

You might ask how much does this justice cost? Our state court system is probably the most efficient part of government — consuming less than 1 percent of our state budget last year — 1 percent to settle all of the civil disputes and protect the community from offenders.

So why do we need more judges? The answer is simple. As our world becomes more complicated, as businesses engage in more complex transactions, as citizens go about their everyday lives we put more and more demand on our judicial system. St. Johns County’s population has grown by 54 percent in the last 10 years. We have built numerous new roads and wonderful new schools but added just one circuit judge to the courthouse.

The result? Today it takes three to four months to get on the docket for a hearing. Families may have to wait three to four months to receive their inheritance. Businesses may have to wait three to four months to have a summary judgment in a contract dispute. Once the case is ready for actual trial, it can take up to a year to get a trial date.

Our judges are doing everything they can to keep the docket moving. It is smart to ask that before we expand government that we make the government we have as efficient as possible. The judges have done that. Most have only one staff member — their judicial assistant! Hearing scheduling is mostly done online. Court filing is transitioning to e-filing. You might think the courts are flooded with foreclosures or perhaps frivolous tort litigation. Our legislature and the courts have taken many vital steps to reduce or eliminate frivolous litigation. Changes to statutes and procedure have eliminated much of the “frivolous” litigation. Foreclosures are being handled largely by retired judges and temporary-hire case managers to keep up with — but not get ahead — of the temporary overload.

Justice delayed usually means justice is denied. Litigants spend time and money just waiting to get their case heard. These delays affect everyone. When a business cannot enforce contracts, consumer costs go up. When a foreclosure case is bogged down in a clogged system, homeowners, banks and investors are left with uncertainty; the housing market suffers and all of our home values are affected. When a criminal trial is delayed both the accused and the people are harmed.

It is time to make a modest investment in our justice system and “hire” the additional circuit and county judges that we need. Please contact your state senator and your representative and ask them to get our justice system back on track with this modest investment!

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So why do we need more judges? The answer is simple. Too big of a revolving door !!!

How about we reduce their case loads by just keeping recidivists in jail !! Fraud has become big business in America , put more of them in jail instead of electing them Gov. Punish the companies severly for doing it. Instead of building 350 million dollar courthouses so they can have better offices than we do, Put them in a pole barn.

The Judicial system has created a monster of itself, and no longer seems to understand that they work for us. Want more judges ? fine reduce the current ones paychecks, and let them work from lower rent offices! Stop putting people in jail for no reason, and stop letting so many out.

over rated and over paid. If they don't like the caseload, they can QUIT, get off the public TIT and get a REAL JOB say at WallyWorld. If judges or anybody else live off the SWEAT of the taxpayer, take your medicine, your free paycheck, and QUIT CRYIN'.